In the Spotlight

[Ilaria Rosselli Del Turco]

Dianne,

This is a sweet portrait of your granddaughter but needs a few corrections to do her justice, I think.
My critique:

- I will start on the basics: the photo reference is a very difficult photo to tackle. Personally I believe that photos should be taken purposefully, and that painting from a casual photograph is seldom going to work (too late now to do anything about anyway).
This photo is slightly blurred and the skintones are flat and badly lit. The pose is also a bit weird, without the other arm or shoulder showing. I am sure that given the chance you would have opted for a three quarter view of her body.

- The black ground is in my opinion a questionable choice, that contrasts too much with the figure. You have rightly softened the edges, so that she does not look like a cutout, but still I believe that a lighter neutral background, not worked in one flat colour, will soften this sense of harshness you have also noticed, and at the same time be more suitable for a child portrait.

- There is a problem with the size of her features, specially the eyes, which look too big for her face. I think you should consider repainting
the head.

I suggest that you draw it again on paper paying attention to the proportions and the relationship between features, their placement and their width.
After completing the drawing I would obliterate her face completely with white paint and redraw just a few landmarks, like the pupils, the width and placement of the nostrils, the partition and corner of the mouth, before repainting all of the face.
I am terrible at drawing on the computer, but I have tried to explain visually where I see discrepancies between the photo and your work.
You have painted eyes and nose as if they were completely frontal, while the head is slightly turned away from the viewer.
Did you look at your painting and the photo side by side on the screen of the computer? I find this a very useful check.

The discrepancy between the body and the face of this girl is puzzzling.
Sincerely, you have painted her body and dress very well and sensitevely,the drawing is solid and the colour well applied, while in the face your skill have suddenly... well... involuted in a naif sort of style.
What happened ?

Ilaria